


He Wasn't There Again Today

by FivePips



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Curse Breaker Remus, First Kiss, First Meeting, Ghosts, Haunting, Intelligent Haunting, M/M, Post-First War with Voldemort, RS Fireside Tales
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-08 14:24:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17388011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FivePips/pseuds/FivePips
Summary: It has been years since Sirius has stepped inside the Grimmauld Estate. His childhood home used to instill fear in him but there's something new in the air. Sirius does his best to assume it's just negative energy but when the curse breaker arrives, things begin to get even stranger.Written forRS Fireside Tales 2019.





	He Wasn't There Again Today

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt P21
> 
> Thank you starstruck4moony for being a lovely beta!

_Yesterday, upon the stair,_  
_I met a man who wasn’t there_  
_He wasn’t there again today_  
_I wish, I wish he’d go away..._

 _When I came home last night at three_  
_The man was waiting there for me_  
_But when I looked around the hall_  
_I couldn’t see him there at all!_  
_Go away, go away, don’t you come back any more!_  
_Go away, go away, and please don’t slam the door... (slam!)_

 _Last night I saw upon the stair_  
_A little man who wasn’t there_  
_He wasn’t there again today_  
_Oh, how I wish he’d go away..._  
**_\--Antigonish [I met a man who wasn’t there] by Hughes Mearns_ **

****

 

Staring out the window on to the property, Sirius felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as if something was watching him there in the shadows. It was the same feeling he’d had since stepping into the house. It was as if eyes were on him everywhere that he went. Looking out onto land, Sirius expected to see something looking back up at him standing there beneath the tree just off the side of the pathway under the waning moon. There was nothing there though. Nor was there anything behind him when he turned around, even if he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

When he was a child the house was so full of hate and anger that it practically filled the air with it at points — especially when his mother was particularly angry with Sirius for one reason or another. The home was once full of horrors for Sirius but they had been all real and tangible unlike now. He wondered if these new horrors were just manifested in his mind from the past trauma. Lily had told him one night a few months back about some Muggle study on trauma. Apparently, past trauma during childhood could lead to what people believed were hauntings. Sirius barely listened at the time, but since walking into Grimmauld again, he was beginning to wonder if it were possibly true.

Since inheriting the Grimmauld Estate from his family, he had only been there three times. This week he was staying to help the private curse breaker he hired to finally banish much of the evil from the house. He figured it may take that long or even longer to rid the house of all the curses, jinxes, counter-charms, and hexes his mother had placed on the furniture and what not. The man, Remus Lupin, seemed shocked that he would be needed for so long on one job but it did not take much convincing after Sirius offered him a large sum for the work.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang loudly, echoing throughout the halls of the house and bouncing off the walls. It felt as if it reverberated through his body because it was such a stark difference from the silence he had been standing in for the last hour. Sirius was happy to have the company. He hoped that Remus wouldn’t run off at the slightest bump or possible evil apparition, although the man was a curse breaker, so he probably didn’t run off so easily.

Opening the heavy black front door, Sirius was greeted first by a rush of cold air then by the sight of a beautiful man. Sirius was tall, but Remus Lupin was a good few inches taller. He had pouty lips and dimples with freckles over his cheeks. His light brown hair was curly and made his hazel eyes stand out. He looked rather tired though. “Hi, Mister Black.”

“Yes, hello, ah please call me Sirius and come in. Gods, bleeding cold out there.” He stepped aside for him to cross the threshold. Remus was wearing Muggle clothes just as Sirius was. Sirius first started to abandon proper robes in his free time at Hogwarts when he was about 12 when James and Peter would lend him jeans and tee shirts. Since he left school, he had only worn a robe to James and Lily’s wedding.

“Call me Remus then if we’re going on a first name basis. I’m sorry I’m late, I was stuck getting rid of a Boggart for a mate at the last minute.” He explained, taking off his coat.

“No worries, it’s also darker out than usual. There’s a snowstorm brewing out there. I think we’re going to be getting some over the next few days.” Sirius said, leading Remus further into the house down a dark, narrow hall. “Do your mates often ask you to do that stuff?”

Remus laughed and shrugged his shoulders, “From time to time, yes they’ve been known to ask.”

“I was thinking we could start in the kitchen than by the time we’re done we can have a late dinner.” Sirius offered.

“That sounds like a good idea.” Remus nodded. “Is there anything I should know about this place? In your letter, you said your family was into dark magic and your mother hated, er, everyone.”

“That’s about right.” Sirius debated on telling Remus about the whole being watched thing but kept it to himself for now. He wasn’t there to rid ghosts — real or metaphorical. “I know that the library, the sitting room, and her room have a lot going on. I nearly got devoured by a cushion the last time I visited to check on the place.”

“Your family was — were they in league with Voldemort?”

Sirius was surprised that Remus used the Dark Lord’s name. No one ever wanted to say it but Sirius thought it was a little silly. At the same time, he was expecting it. “Yes, they were til the bitter end, even after he was gone. I wasn’t though.” He made sure to point out.

“I know, you have an Order of Merlin for fighting against him.” Remus nodded. “I read The Prophet.” He said as they took the narrow creaky stairs down to the kitchen.

That wasn’t something Sirius boasted about. The war ten years back was hard. He lost a lot of friends, he lost his brother. He lost a lot of things. At least he still had James, Lily, and Harry. That was something.

Sirius waved his wand and the kitchen lit up. It was all black and grey and claustrophobic, just big enough for the former House Elves to work. Sirius told Remus what he could about the room then they went to work. As they did, Sirius noticed the scars on Remus’ nose and down his neck and on his arms in the new light. He wondered what happened. Maybe it was during the war or something else. He knew he couldn’t ask because that would be rude, so he went to work. Though, he did think that it made him look rather rugged and handsome.

The utensils, all pure silver were hexed so people couldn’t steal them. Remus didn’t touch them, saying they were probably only allowed to be held by someone of Black descent. He suggested for dinner the should transfigure something else to use to eat because Remus just wanted to make sure they were safe. There were a few other valuables in the room that were the same. He also found a boggart in a cupboard but made quick work of it. There was nothing too bad in the room. Remus worked efficiently, so they were done in what seemed like a blink.

Remus offered to take care of the dining room so they would have a place to eat in peace. Sirius agreed that it was a good idea, so he went to work on making a simple chicken and rice dish. He wasn’t the best cook but he wasn’t the worst, he just needed to keep it easy. As he kept an eye on the food, a chill crept up his spine.

He heard the stairs groan and crack as if someone was walking down the slowly. Sirius looked to see nothing. He also heard nothing now. The creaking had stopped all that he could hear was Remus’ footfalls in the room above him. Sirius took a deep breath before turning back to their food.

Then a voice whispered so close that it felt right in his ear but it was missing the breathiness of a person, “Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.”

Sirius jerked his body fully around, expecting to see Remus standing behind him but there was no one there. Just the empty kitchen. It wasn’t even Remus’ voice, so that wasn’t logical. It was a familiar voice but not at the same time. He couldn’t place the whisper.

With his heart pounding in his chest, Sirius tried to hurry along with dinner. That was the first time he had heard something like that. Normally it was just feelings or strange noises or movements in his periphery but this was something else entirely. How on earth was he going to survive a whole week here without losing his mind?

***

Taking in the dining room, Remus contemplated what Sirius’ life was like growing up in such a place. He had quite the opposite upbringing. It was lucky if the Lupins could stay in the same place for more than a year due to his furry little problem and his parent’s money struggles. The ridiculous wealth displayed at Sirius’ childhood home spoke to their pureblood legacy and their forays into dark magic.

Even though Sirius was a filthy rich pureblood, he seemed all right enough. From his letter, it appeared as if he wanted to be rid of Grimmauld as soon as possible. He also knew all about Sirius’ doings in the war. He had actually corresponded with him a few times, not that Sirius knew. Remus was in deep cover in various places around the country for The Order. He passed along info when he could and Sirius was one of those points of contact. To say he was surprised when Sirius had inquired about his curse-breaking services was a shock was a bit of an understatement.

“YOU NASTY BEAST GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! MUDBLOOD! WERE—”

Remus silenced the portrait of Walburga Black, Sirius’ mother, in the dining room. Even if Sirius wasn’t completely like his family, it didn’t mean that he didn’t have prejudices against Remus being a werewolf. He didn’t want to find out because he was about to make a lot of money staying in the home and ridding it of all its nasty stuff. He wondered if it would take more than a week with how large the place was.

As Remus was taking care of the china cabinet that had a stinging jinx on it, he felt like someone was lingering behind him in the doorway. He turned to see that it was empty, just darkness leading down the long hallway which went towards the front door. Then he heard the creaking on the stairs but there were no footsteps.

“Of course this place is haunted too,” He muttered to himself as he continued checking the room. A ghost or whatever it was didn’t phase him. They were dead and he had faced far worse in his life.

Eventually, Sirius came up the stairs with their dinner. He looked bit shaken, even more so than Remus had noted from when he arrived. Remus could guess that it probably had something to do with the house being a horrible reminder of his past life. Remus didn’t poke or prod at that because it was none of his business, just as his life was none of Sirius’ business.

They talked for a long time, into the night. Sirius told Remus about his job designing brooms. Remus told Sirius about different things had seen around the world. Sirius seemed very interested in all the different cultures that Remus had experienced. Sirius said he never traveled much because he never knew where to start. Remus gave him some advice. During which they discovered they had very similar taste in music.

They talked so easily that it was past midnight before either of them realized they had been talking for hours. Remus decided they should probably sleep because there was a lot of work to be done on the house in the morning and he didn’t want to waste time.

The two men went up to the second floor where the rooms were located. Remus checked both their rooms, Sirius’ first then his own. He found nothing amiss and told Sirius he could sleep soundly tonight without worrying.

“Yeah, sure,” Sirius scoffed, leaning against Remus’ door frame.

Remus frowned, “Why say that?”

“It’s — it’s just, it feels weird here, doesn’t it? Like… I should just shut up.” He shook his head.

“Like someone’s watching you?” Remus raised an eyebrow and Sirius nodded, looking sullen. “It’s haunted. I wouldn’t worry too much.”

“Right, yeah. It just feels different. I don’t know.” Sirius looked down at his feet.

Remus nodded, “Don’t worry, Sirius, if you need anything I’m across the hall. I’m sure you’ll be okay.”

“I’m not a big baby, just so you know?” Sirius shook his head. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“I’m not thinking poorly of you.”

“Right. I know, I’m just being sensitive I think. Good night, Remus, thanks for coming out here.”

“I appreciate the job.” Remus gave him a tight smile before going into his room.

That night, Remus had a vivid dream. He was in the library of Grimmauld. He wasn’t sure how he knew it was the library because he had never seen it before. But he could see something in the corner of the room. When he moved closer it disappeared to another corner or behind bookshelf. It was almost as if it was leading him somewhere. Then he heard Sirius’ screams and he felt this intense anger and sadness. He was searching for something, not even the shadow but it was something else but he couldn’t find it anywhere.

Remus woke up in the grey morning light sweating and breathing as if he had been running all night. His heart was pounding in his chest. His hands were shaking. It felt too real. Remus didn’t like it. He also didn’t like the loud knock on the door the followed his jolting upright because it didn’t sound like something Sirius would do.

“Come in,” He hesitantly called.

The door flung open to reveal an empty hallway. Then across the hall, the other door opened with a loud CRACK.

“REMUS!?”

“Sirius,” Remus scrambled out of bed once he grabbed his wand and jogged across the hall.

He found Sirius sitting up in bed, his dark hair wild with a pair of glasses on his face. “What the fuck was that?”

“I don’t know.” Remus looked down the hall, which was lined with portraits of various Black family members but he saw nothing. “Godric, I don’t fucking know. When you were growing up here, did something like that ever happen?”

Sirius shook his head, grabbing a hair tie from his nightstand. Remus tried not to stare at his bare chest and arms as he pulled back his hair. Now was not the time to find someone attractive. Especially, not someone who was employing him. “Nothing like that has ever happened. It was always a quiet house unless my mother was relenting.”

Remus wondered if it was possibly Sirius’ mother. Or maybe it was some type of residual dark magic that he didn’t know much about. Whatever it was could have affected his dreams, “Sirius, did you have any odd dreams last night?”

The man went a bit off color but nodded. “You and I were in the library.”

“Were you chasing something?”

“No, something was holding me in there but you were searching for me or for something, I don’t know. I knew you were there because I could hear you but I couldn’t see you.”

Remus furrowed his brow. “I think we need to stay out of that library for now.” Though, Remus wondered if there were any books in there that could help him on the shelves. “I don’t know why whatever this is is trying to lure us in but we can’t let it. Not until we figure it out.”

Sirius nods in agreement. “Right,” He clapped his hands together as if to rally them. “Okay, I’ll — I’ll make breakfast and pretend this place isn’t haunted and terrifying. You can get ready for the day. If there’s anything you need…”

“I’ll see you at breakfast,” Remus tried his best to smile like a normal person, trying to pretend the day was a regular one where he wasn’t attracted to the man who had hired him nor was he being haunted by some being or terrorized by dark magic — whichever one.

***

The snow had begun to fall around midday when they were in the formal dining room. Sirius paused for a while to watch the fat flakes fall onto the front garden. The black pathway that led to the gate was completely covered in snow. The trees looked as if they were sugar coated. Remus kept working as Sirius gazed out the window, not seeming to care of the beauty that the weather was creating. Or maybe Remus was trying to keep his mind busy in a different way and off of whatever it was that was in the house with them.

Thinking about his dream the night before made him ill. How was he going to survive six more nights of that? The dream felt like it drained him. Then being awoken with the knock and the crashing doors was just too much. Remus seemed more interested in what happening than scared, that gave him some confidence. He felt like he had should have had more confidence. He fought a sodding war! He killed people! People tried to kill him! This though, this he couldn’t see. This he didn’t understand. The war was real and tangible.

“Wrong,” The voice from the night before in the kitchen whispered again, making Sirius jump back from the window.

Remus was standing up straight with his wand raised to the air at nothing. His hazel eyes were searching the room.

“You heard that too then? I’m not going completely mad, that’s good.”

Remus nodded, dropping his arm. “Do you know the voice?”

“I— maybe. I don’t know. It almost sounds like…” Regulus. He didn’t want to say the name out loud. “My brother, I think but I’m not sure.”

“Hmm, maybe he’s trying to contact you.”

“We were estranged, he died for the Death Eaters.” Sirius said harshly.

“No, he was working for us — for you.” Remus amended quickly, looking a little surprised with himself.

“Us?” Sirius asked, moving closer to Remus. “I don’t remember your name. I would remember it. It’s as unique as mine. What was your codename then?”

“Moony.”

Moony. Moony was a spy for The Order. A werewolf from what Sirius had gathered from his messages he had received or saw during the war. Well, that explained Remus’ scars. Without Moony they probably wouldn’t have succeeded in their fight. He was on a lot of important missions. “Moony, you saved Harry and Lily and James. You stopped Peter.” He shook his head.

Moony had been the one to capture Peter, the spy in the Order and his former best mate before he could betray the Potter’s completely. Though, the Longbottoms didn’t escape free. Poor Neville was with a scar on his forehead and without parents. But the person standing in front of him had saved his best friends — his family.

“You’re lying. This can’t be possible, Remus. Moony.”

“No, it’s very possible,” Remus shook his head. “I also know your brother didn’t die for them. He died because of them. He was killed because he was going to betray Voldemort.” He spoke quietly.

Sirius put his hands to his face. He always knew, hoped that Regulus was a good person. Sirius always thought Regulus could be a better person than Sirius was. It seemed like that was true. “Shite and I hired you to break curses. You — you’re one of us and I had no idea.” He always wanted to thank Moony but never got the chance to.

“Ha, I know. I’ve been thinking about that a lot. Since you hired me, really. I wasn’t sure if I should tell you but I think that was needed at the moment.”

There was a loud bang above them, which sounded like a door slamming. Sirius’ nerves felt completely frayed and they were just twenty-four hours into clearing the house out.

“Maybe we should get out of here?” Remus suggested as if reading his mind.

“No, no, I think we should finish up here then have a drink. Or multiple.”

“Right, sure.”

Sirius thought about Moony all the time following the war, for at least a year. He asked Dumbledore about him. Who was he? How could he be thanked? Why didn’t he earn an Order of Merlin? It made sense now that Sirius knew he was a werewolf, which should bloody matter. Remus fought bravely and did far more than other members who received the honor.

It didn’t take them much longer to finish the formal dining room. Sirius and Remus both worked on dinner in the kitchen that night. They were mostly quiet as they did not the work and the cooking. Sirius wasn’t sure what he was meant to say to Remus. He wasn’t sure if he should talk about the war. As a general rule, he and his mates didn’t talk about the war. That was in the past. They dealt with it all and now they were happy. But now, Sirius was sharing a space for a week with the man that saved their arses and his brother was apparently helping The Order and currently haunting them. This was a lot to take in and Sirius didn’t know where to start with it. So, he decided to eat and drink.

After eating in mostly silence, Sirius summoned the bottle of Firewhisky and two glasses. He poured liberally and pushed a glass towards Remus.

“I try not to think of the war,” Sirius said.

“How’s the going for you?”

“It’s all right. It’s been a good decade now. I’m trying not to spend too long being concerned with it all. I can’t believe you’re — well, you’re you. That you’re the one who helped us so much.”

Remus shrugged a shoulder. “It was all in a days work.”

“You know, I made a big stink because you didn’t get an Order of Merlin. I was very demanding but it didn’t get me anywhere.”

“I appreciate that.”

“It’s shite, aren’t we advanced enough to know that werewolves are just people too?”

“No.” Remus let out a bitter laugh before sipping the Firewhisky. “Look, in the Muggle world, I’m fucked for being bisexual. In the Wizard world, I’m fucked for being a werewolf. People hate what they don’t understand. People with smaller minds hate what they’re told to hate. Life sucks and I just have to get on with it.”

“Oh, you’re —”

“I’m bi. Into both men and women. I lean more towards blokes most of the time but, yeah.” Remus confirmed. “Some purebloods don’t like that either though.”

“I know, it’s about keeping the legacy. Believe me, I know. I’m gay and told my lovely mother because I just wanted to make her angry one night. Part of the end of my time as a Black.”

“If you’re no longer a Black, how do you have the house?” Remus asked him as Sirius took a long drink.

“Mummy burned me off the family tapestry but never took me off the estate. I think she always thought I’d come back, even after all these years.” Sirius shook his head. “But in the end, both her sons were traitors in her eyes. God, I can’t believe it.”

Remus reached across the table and patted his hand. “He was brave. The last time I saw him—”

“You actually saw him? You talked to him?” Sirius felt as if he was about to be a blubbering mess.

“Yes, ah, I was apart of the team that was protecting him. He was looking for something. He tried to tell me about it the last time I was around him but then Dumbledore came in and we got off track. Two nights later he — he was killed and I was dealing with the bleeding moon. I never found out what he was looking for.”

Sirius was upset that he was just learning about this now. How could Dumbledore and whoever else was covering his brother not tell him? Maybe they thought Sirius was the spy. Maybe it as just important to keep it under deep cover, especially if Remus was involved.

As Sirius was thinking that over, one of the chairs at the table on the far end scrapped across the floor. Remus and Sirius both stilled completely. Well, after Remus reached for his wand. The chair stopped as Sirius felt as if he were trembling all over.

“LOOK!” The voice sounded before the chair was pushed in again and there were as if there was a rush of cold air in the room.

“Well, that’s a new word,” Remus deadpanned.

***

The next morning, clutching his chest, Remus woke up in his bed in Grimmauld. Again, there was a knock then the door flung open. Across the hall, it happened too. Just like yesterday. He even had the same dream as the night or morning before. This was not his idea of a good time.

“LOOK,” Loud and clear, the word rang out in the hallway before another door was slammed.

“Regulus! Fuck off!” Sirius shouted from his room. He sounded completely done with this. Remus couldn’t blame him, really. He knew from snippets of their conversations, being in this place for Sirius was bad enough. Now, his dead brother wanted something from him it seemed.

Remus got out of bed again and went over to Sirius’ room. He was putting on his glasses as Remus entered. Sadly, this morning he was wearing a shirt. “What does he want you to look for?”

“Whatever it is we’re looking for is in the library in our bloody dreams. I’m assuming you had the same one again too.”

“Yes,” Remus nodded grimly.

“Do you think that it has something to do with what you were saying yesterday, how he was looking for something during the war?”

“Maybe but that was ten years ago. The war’s long over. Voldemort is dead.”

Sirius closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Remus moved to the window in Sirius’ room. It overlooked the back garden. He looked out onto the now expanse of white. The snow was still falling heavily. They were snowed in now with this lovely ghost. Remus turned around quickly because he felt like someone was watching him.

Thankfully, it was only Sirius, who looked away blushing this time and not an empty doorway with something he could not see. Remus nearly would have said something flirtatious to him but there was too much going on to add that to things at the moment so he turned back to the window. “We should get going for the day.”

“Yes, I think so.”

“I’ll try to work a bit faster. Maybe we can get out of here earlier. I mean, I — we don’t even have to do this any longer. I’m fine with leaving the job if you want.”

“No, unless if you want to quit, we should finish. I need to be done with this place for once and for all. I can’t do that until it’s completely safe for whoever gets this place next.”

“Okay, I’m not going anywhere.”

“If you want to, I can pay you the full amount and—”

“No, I’m not running scared from this. Especially if it’s just your brother.” Remus shook his head. He was sure that it’d be fine. Maybe he’d even figure out whatever this mystery was that Regulus had been hiding from The Order.

***

Later that night, Sirius bit his lip, watching Remus climb the stairs in front of him. They had finished the first floor, aside from the sitting room today. That would probably take a full day itself. He could barely step into the room without feeling the crackle of magic in there, just as the library and his mother’s room.

But, his mind was actually far from that for the moment. He was busy staring at Remus’ arse. They had spent the last hour or so flirting over drinks. At least Sirius hoped they were flirting because he really wanted that to be true. It was a relief to forget about the stress of the situation and finally get to know, and enjoy the presences of the attractive war hero.

“Okay, I think we’re moving a bit quicker. Tomorrow, we’ll do the sitting room then maybe we can get through up here in a day or so. The library and your mother’s room will probably take longer.” Remus leaned back against his door.

“Yes, that sounds good.” Sirius looked at Remus’ lips. He didn’t want to sleep in his own bed tonight. He didn’t really want to sleep alone tonight.

Remus surprised him by reaching his arm out and pulling him against him. “You’ve been staring at my mouth all night.”

Sirius nodded rather dumbly.

“Kiss me then.” The taller man rasped and Sirius didn’t second guess himself.

Their lips met in a tentative kiss. It lasted only a few seconds before Sirius pulled back, feeling just slightly unsure. He was paying the man right now, surely that was some sort of ethical dilemma. All that went out the window when Remus kissed him again. This time it was full of heat. Hands began fumbling with clothes.

Just as Sirius was going to lead them into the bedroom a door down the hallway began to slam closed then it would open then closed then open. Again and again and again. “Perfect timing,” Sirius mumbled against Remus’ lips.

The other man’s head turned down the hall, “What room is that?”

Sirius looked to see, “Godric, that’s Regulus’ room.”

“LOOK!”

“I think — I think we should look, Sirius.” Remus’ eyes were fixed on the slamming door.

“What if it’s malevolent?” Sirius asked.

“Then we get the fuck out of here.”

“Okay,” Sirius nodded then grabbed Remus’ strong hand. “Let’s go.”

As they began to walk down the hall, the door stopped it’s movement and stayed open. When Sirius stepped in, he felt a chill run through his body. He hadn’t been in Regulus’ room for years. It looked practically preserved from his youth. Slytherin banners and a potion kit on his desk. Black and green bedding on a four post bed.

“What are we looking for?” Remus asked and Sirius wasn’t sure if it was to him or do whatever it was they were now chasing.

“I don’t know.” He still answered anyway because he didn’t fancy chatting with otherworldly beings. This whole hunt was enough. “I think we’ll know when we find it.”

“Right, let’s just get on with it.”

***

Slamming doors and a yelling disembodied voice was the opposite of what Remus wanted in a first kiss with Sirius. It was a nice first kiss up until that point, Remus thought as he looked under Regulus’ bed to find nothing, not even a dust bunny. He popped his head up to see Sirius searching the shelves of the room. They had been at this for almost an hour now and had nothing to show for it.

“Did he maybe you a concealment charm or something?”

“No, not with my mother in the house. She’s goes right for that.”

“Maybe the Muggle way then,” Remus said thoughtfully.

“Huh?”

“False floorboard or false bottom to a drawer or something along those lines.”

“Possibly,” Sirius looked down at the floor where there was a old area rug under his feet.

Remus vanished the rug then Sirius had his wand out and muttered a spell. A second later, one of the floorboards rose up then clattered down. Sirius let out a small laugh, “You’re brilliant, you are.”

“Just crafty.” Remus and Sirius both sank to their knees at the same time.

Sirius reached his hand into the small crevasse and pulled out a piece of parchment. Remus watched as Sirius’ shaking hands unfolded the browning paper as carefully as he could. He cleared his throat then began to read:

_Reader,_

_I hope this is Sirius or someone from The Order because the following information needs to be brought forward to Dumbledore if I am dead. It’s vital for you to know that Voldemort is in the process of creating Horcruxes to preserve his soul for eternal life. To whoever is reading this know that it is not safe until all the Horcruxes are destroyed. I’ve yet to figure out how to do this. One of them is located in the library, an old diary belonging to Tom Riddle, and the other is in Mother’s room — Salazar Slytherin’s locket. With how things are going I fear I may not see the end of this war so I hope that this is found and the proper steps are taken. I have no idea how many Horcruxes there are but I do believe there are more than just these two. Find how to destroy these as soon as possible. These ones I have acquired are safe to touch. I’ve performed the proper charms to free them of their jinxes and counter-charms._

_R.A.B._

Sirius handed the letter to Remus. He was pale and Remus worried for a moment that Sirius may faint. Remus reread it three times. He knew what Horcruxes were but he never believed anyone would ever do such a thing. The dark magic involved would have been intricate and intense but Voldemort was powerful.

“What are we going to do?” Sirius practically croaked.

“Get the Horcruxes and get to Albus. Then — then we continue what Regulus started.”

“We don’t even know where to begin.”

“That’s why we’re starting in the library.” Remus stood up. “Come on, Sirius.”

***

Sirius stared at the floorboard near the open hiding spot where the parchment had been. Remus was standing above him, a hand in his hair but not moving, just waiting for him to make a choice. He didn’t have much of a choice. He needed to move, find the Horcruxes, and try to figure out what to do next.

When he looked to do the doorway, he swore he saw Regulus just for the briefest of moments. His long dark hair, his blue eyes, and his innocent smile. Sirius always thought he was the perfect Black child but it seemed he was far more than that. He was a hero and was still fighting it seemed, from beyond the grave.

“Right,” Sirius stood up. “No wonder the library and my mother’s bedroom are the worst. I always feel the worst when I go to either of them. We should check the sitting room for something too, just in case. Maybe he found something and couldn’t add it to the note.”

“Of course,” Remus said as they began to go towards the library. He tried very hard not to think of the nightmare that had awoken both Remus and him up two mornings in a row.

The library was at the end of the long hall, past all the bedrooms. Sirius pushed the door open, feeling sick to his stomach. The anxiety he had woken with the past mornings were brewing in his veins once again. Sirius tried to light the room but nothing happened. The stacks were still cloaked in darkness.

“Lumos,” Remus said and the light of his wand lit the area in front of him. “I think I know where we need to look. I remember trying to run in the direction of your voice.”

Sirius nodded, feeling the now familiar feeling of having disembodied eyes on him. This time it felt more sinister and like there were more than just one other ghost, poltergeist, or whatever in there with them. As they went through the stacks, wands raised in front of them Sirius swore he kept hearing someone behind them. He hoped that it was Regulus’ spirit and nothing else.

“It’s over here,” Remus said stopping short. “I think I can — I can feel it.”

“Yeah, I can too.” Sirius put a hand to his chest. “I don’t know a lot about Horcruxes. Are they going to hurt us?”

“No, I don’t think so. Not as long as we don’t hold on to them for too long. We’ll be okay. I think.” Remus searched the shelves.

“LOOK! LOOK! LOOK!” The voice sounded as if it was on the other side of the shelf.

“We are!” Sirius shouted back. He was sure that he had gone completely barmy. How was this his life right now?

Remus pulled out the diary and held it in the air triumphantly. It looked completely nondescript. Just a plain black leather diary that Sirius himself would have kept. No one would have known that it contained a part of a soul of the darkest wizard of their time.

“Let’s get the fuck out of this place.” Sirius insisted, hauling Remus up.

They hurried down the hall to his mother’s bedroom. The dust coated every inch of the room. Cobwebs hung everywhere, causing Sirius to feel as if a million tiny bugs were crawling on him. Remus performed a spell to wipe cobwebs away and went right to the jewelry chest on the old vanity with intricate carvings. Sirius was going to ask why would it be in such an obvious place but he couldn’t get the words out because Remus was already holding the silver locket up.

“That was easy,” Sirius said. “A bit too easy.”

“Well, I think that’s the easiest this whole thing is going to get. We don’t know how many Horcruxes there are. We don’t know how to destroy these things. We have a lot more to get to.”

“Thank god you’re a curse breaker.” Sirius grabbed Remus’ hand. “Let’s just check the sitting room and go.”

The house felt as if it was pulsing with energy. Sirius couldn’t be sure if it was something paranormal or if it was because he was now on a mission. Old familiar feelings from the war were creeping back in but he no longer felt scared. He felt empowered, knowing that they may be a step ahead of the Death Eaters or even whatever was left of Voldemort. Still, there was this thrum of energy around him.

The energy was so thick that Sirius thought the house was going to burst. As they looked in the sitting room it nearly did. All the doors in the house began to slam furiously. Lights began to flicker on then off then on again. The clocks all began to chime. The doorbell began to ring. The cacophony of sound made him feel like he was drowning.

Remus looked at him, “I think he’s telling us it’s time to leave.”

“Yeah, I think so. We can’t apparate in the house, we have to get outside.” Sirius explained.

Remus didn’t hesitate, he took Sirius’ hand and went for the door.

As they crunched into the snow towards the pathway, Sirius looked back at the house and in the window he knew he saw his brother. This time he wasn’t just seeing shadows in the corner of his eyes or feeling someone behind him. Regulus was looking down at them from the window.

Remus looked back, “What is it?”

“Nothing.” Sirius shook his head. He looked again and the figure was no longer in the window.

“Sirius, how did you find me?” Remus stopped in the snow and grabbed Sirius’ arm as he prepared to apparate.

“There was a flyer. Practically floated into my hand.”

Remus furrowed his brow, “I don’t have flyers. I only advertise in The Quibbler and sometimes The Prophet.”

“Then how—”

“I think we should just stop asking questions.” Remus snickered. “We’ve a lot to get done and I don’t think this line of questioning is going to help.”

“Least we get to do it together.”

“Yes, together.”

“Um, maybe we can do something less scary together, like a date? You know, without my brother’s ghost watching us and without carrying around a piece of Voldemort’s soul.”

“I’d like that too. Let’s sort this part first.” Remus held up the diary.

“Deal,” Sirius kissed him quickly on the cheek before apparating them to Hogsmeade.


End file.
